


Beyond the Wall

by irllink



Category: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, M/M, Prison
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-03
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-04-07 09:54:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 6,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4258935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irllink/pseuds/irllink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Link, a good boy who was wrongly convicted of murder, has found what is lower than the bottom of the barrel. He is nearly hopeless until a voice belonging to a strange thief named Ravio seeps through the crumbling wall of his cell. They become fast friends, and eventually fall in love, but...they are still just a voice beyond a wall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beyond the Wall

"Get in and stay in," the guard growls as he throws a boy too young to be an adult, yet too old to be a child into a near-ancient cell. The boy receives a new scrape from the unkempt, rough prison floor as the soldier calls him "scum" under his breath. Slamming the barred gate shut so hard it might break the next time it is opened, the guard gives the young man one last look of disgust before locking the door tightly and turning away. The declared-felon slumps against the wall of his new home to take notice of his surroundings. The only traces of the outside world is the piling dirt on the floor, the rodents who reside in the small holes in the brick wall, and the mud stuck to the bottom of his bare feet (if that counts). He then looks himself over: a deep cut has started to scab on the right side of his face, still-bleeding remnants of prior whippings lace his pale back, his knees bruised and cut from digging them roughly into the stone, and the taste of blood standing firm in his mouth.

The only thing he can think is "I want to sleep."

What feels like hours pass by as he tries to find a comfortable resting position on the stone floor. The guard passes by his cell every now and then, not even giving him a lick of notice. It is late into the night when he notices the crack in the left wall of his small, rectangular cell, and he only notices because of the low, whispering voice slipping out of it.  
"Hey, you're the fresh meat, right?"  
Link did not come here to make friends. He did not come here to speak to strangers through cracks in the wall. In fact, he did not come here on his own will at all. But he still replies, "I guess that I am."  
"Well," the voice turns friendlier, happy to have a response. "Welcome to hell."  
"I wasn't aware that I died," Link jokes, crawling closer to the wall.  
"Wait 'till you've been here as long as I have," there is a smile in his voice, "then you will want to die. Anyways, suicidal thoughts and the fact that we're convicted criminals aside, my name is Ravio," he introduces himself quite bluntly, "and I'm in here for theft."  
"That's not a very serious crime," Link responds, slightly puzzled, "why have you been in here long?"  
"I steal because I have no money, so why would anyone I'm friends with have enough to bail me out?" Ravio laughs, and leans back.  
"That makes sense, I suppose."  
"So?" his voice too perky for the situation, "whatcha in here for?"  
"Murder," Link responds, and Ravio "hm"s, slightly impressed. "But I didn't do it. I was wrongly convicted."  
"Aw, and I was just getting interested." He laughs, leaning closer to the crack in the wall that they communicate through. "And if you don't tell me your name, I'll have to make up a name for you."  
"Link," the blonde boy replies, defeated. "And do you, by any chance, have anything to stop bleeding?"  
"Oof. Whipped ya and everything?" The darker-skinned of the two shakes his head, smiling sadly, although his partner in conversation cannot see his face. "Use the end of your pants. Rip off the edges, I mean. They don't care if we bleed out, obviously." He is pleased to hear the sound of fabric ripping from the other side of the wall; pleased that Link took his advice.  
"Thank you, I think." Link says after using his own blood as glue and placing strips of fabric over the gashes on his back. "Ravio, was it?"  
"The one and only."  
"How late do you think it is?"  
"You ask a lot of questions, don'tcha? Can't say I blame you. Lots of change goin' on for you right now, I'm guessing." Ravio's voice gets quieter as he notices for himself that it is late. "Tell you what, let's try to sleep now, and I'll answer your questions tomorrow."  
"Sounds good to me."  
"In return, you gotta tell me who you killed." Ravio laughs after he says this, however, Link's stomach knots.  
"I didn't kill anyone."  
"Right, right. I forgot about that part. Listen buddy, don't sweat it. Let's save our voices for tomorrow, okay?"  
Link lies down on the floor again, but rests his head closest to the wall with the split in it.  
"Okay?" Ravio repeats.  
"Got it, okay." Link responds, finally.  
"Goodnight, fresh meat."  
The rest of the night is spent in a state of being almost asleep, but not quite. Link can hear other prisoners snoring loudly, while others cry quietly for specific reasons he does not know. Not a peep sounds from the crack in the wall – from Ravio's cell, and Link silently sends his prayers that at least his new friend is sleeping well. He drifts in and out of strange dreams, but nothing he really pays much attention to, considering most dreams are strange. Upon groggily waking the next morning, Link wonders if he has ever had a completely normal dream.


	2. Reasons of Reform

"Rise and shine, princess!" Ravio is the first to speak again, knocking his knuckles against the wall as the guard drags his spear loudly across the closely-placed metal bars keeping each criminal contained.  
"I barely slept; I doubt I look as stunning as a princess right now." Link yawns noisily, his back popping as his stretches.  
"You get used to it. Speaking of getting-used-to, wait 'till you see the garbage they call grub in here." Ravio cringes slightly, remembering when he first saw the food they were to eat.  
"Three meals a day?" Link genuinely asks, and is met by Ravio's loud laugh.  
"Good one, buddy. Once every other day if you're lucky."

Link only sighs.

He quickly learns that the life of a convict is both boring and violent at the same time. Link witnesses a guard hit someone through the bars with the back of his spear just for the fun of it, Ravio whispering that it's normal, and actually very mild for a guard as he hears Link softly gasp.  
The rest of the morning is filled with adjusting sitting positions on the hard floor and making small talk with the thief. They try their hardest to explain what their physical appearance looks like to each other; Link learning Ravio is a thin, tan, dark-haired boy nearing his twenties, and Ravio learning that Link is a lanky blonde with a notable birthmark on the top of his left hand.  
"So, fresh meat," Ravio says with a toothy smirk on his face. "Who exactly did you not-kill?" Link grimaces at the conversation Ravio has begun.  
"W-well..." He replies slowly, suddenly a strange type of bashful. He takes a deep breath before almost whispering, "Princess...Zelda." He finally spits the name out.  
Ravio does not respond immediately, which worries Link, considering his remarks have been rapid-fire up until this point. A slow whistle is finally emitted.  
"Wow. Uh, wow." Ravio shakes his head, pushing dark hair out of his eyes. "That's...real rough."  
Link nods although Ravio cannot see.  
"When's your execution?"  
Link nearly chokes. He didn't even think about the punishment he would receive beyond jail time and the more-often-than-occasional lashing. "I'm...not sure?" he truthfully responds.  
"How'd you even get framed for this?"  
"Wrong place, wrong time." Link closes his eyes. "Fate, or something."  
"Shitty fate." Ravio responds dryly.  
"Ain't that the truth."

They are silent well into the afternoon.


	3. Damsel in Disguise

"Your name?" Link is awoken from a nap by a guard—one he had not seen before, neither the one who threw him into his cell the night before, or the one he saw beat another prisoner—and sits up slowly, back still stinging from the whipping.  
"Link...?"  
"Thought so. You've got a visitor. Usually don't let people like you even an inch outside your cell. Guess you got lucky."  
I'm far from lucky, Link thinks as he gets to his feet as the door is unlocked for him.  
It does not occur to him to look at Ravio for himself, and his tan companion is sound asleep, not there to remind him.  
"Here he is." the guard pushes Link into a closed-off room, obviously guarded.  
"Give us some privacy? I just need a moment." The cloaked figure already sitting in the room requests. Link does not recognize them. The guard raises an eyebrow, but leaves the room. He does not close the door.  
"Let me begin," they say, "by apologizing. I am deeply sorry for all the trouble I have caused you."  
Link's eyebrows knit together in confusion, until a pale, feminine hand reaches across the table and takes his.  
She has the same birthmark as he does. He looks up, shocked.  
"But you're...?"  
"Technically dead?" the hood of the cloak is slightly removed to show her sea-colored eyes and sad smile. Link immediately recognizes her, and has a hard time deciding if he should scream at her or listen to what she has come to say. The princess lays both hands on the table, proceeding to press her forehead to them. "Allow me to say it again," she almost whispers, "I am deeply sorry for everything that has happened to you."  
The beloved princess is bowing to the despised criminal.  
"I do not know what this is like," she speaks after a few moments of silence, "but I do understand that it is a difficult thing to ask of you."

Link is speechless.

"I need you to forget that I am alive," she finishes, "or at least pretend I am still dead. Peace be with you, Link. I will not allow you to fall into the hands of death."  
"How did this..."  
"All happen? I will explain it to you when the time comes." Zelda stands, pulling the hood down again. "But I need you to hold on for a few more days, or, regretfully, weeks." She calls for the guard, who addresses her as "Shiek", and turns back to Link as she is leaving.  
"Have faith in me."

It is not until Link has returned to his cell that he notices his back is completely healed.


	4. A Knight to Remember

Ravio’s panic only dies down when he hears the gate of Link’s small cell open and close, with the familiar, quiet humming-that’s almost a whisper-leaking from the blonde’s lips.  
“God, I-” he takes a very deep breath, composing himself. “Where’d you go?”  
“I…had a visitor.” Link does not feel like he can explain. It is a secret he must keep. “No big deal.” Ravio laughs with a slight shudder, covering his face.  
“I thought you’d gone and got executed without even tellin’ me.”  
“Nah, I’m alive. I think.” Link jokes.

Ravio has almost always had problems with anxiety. His life as a thief always had him looking over his shoulder, hoping no one was readying a knife to threaten him with (“Give-that-back-or-else” kind of things). He never knew if one of his friends might betray him at some point. He never knew when he would get caught.  
And then, he did.  
But he keeps all of these thoughts to himself, not wanting to talk about it, or worry Link.

But god, did Link worry him.

The two young men daydream with each other for the next couple of days. They talk about what they’ll do when they get out, if Link could get his hands on some paper, he would slide some drawings through crack in the wall, and how Ravio wants to feel the grass and fresh air again. They are both strangely content for being locked in two very, very small cells.  
“Hey, buddy,” Ravio says, voice calm. Link responds with a “Hm?” as usual. Ravio squeezes and reaches his thin hand out of the bars caging him inside, holding a metal bracelet. “Can you reach this? Quick, while no guards are around.” Link wedges his arm as far as it’ll reach out of the cell, and grasps the wide, metallic bracelet.  
“Got it,” he says, and Ravio lets go, snaking his arm back into his cell.  
“Happy early every-holiday!” Ravio cheers from the other side of the wall.  
“It smells like hell…”  
“Hey, no complaining! That’s the only thing I’ve got left in here besides some rat friends, and the clothes on my back.” Ravio leans back and laughs softly. Link shrugs and puts it on.  
“Thank you, fair prince,” He imitates a noble accent, and Ravio laughs so hard he snorts, “for this token of your gratitude.”  
“Gratitude of what?”  
“Uh, another human being to speak to.”

Ravio couldn’t argue on this one.

-

“Link.” Someone whispers so quietly, Link almost misses them.  
“Please, let me sleep.” Link is used to this life now. Ignore the guards long enough, and they’ll either give up or hit you.  
“Link,” the voice is louder this time, “wake up.” He opens one eye to see yet another guard, but this one is different. They have most of their face covered, and their eyes look concerned.  
“Who are you?” Link sits up slowly; sleepily. “What do you want this time?”  
“The princess…” the guard looks behind their back nervously before continuing, “wanted me to check on you, and give you this.” They slip some unspoiled-maybe even fresh-food through the bars. Link decides they are a good guy in this moment.  
“Thank you-” he lowers his voice, embarrassed from the burst of excitement, “Thank you.” He proceeds to shove the evidence that any food was in his cell into his mouth. Link forgets the last time he was this genuinely grateful. The knight continues to explain themselves.  
“My name is Hilda,” they-no, she-whispers. “So really, because the Princess…” another pause, “…will ask without ceasing, how are you? Any sickness? Anything?”  
“Well,” Link halfway smiles, “I have certainly been better.”  
“My apologies for this situation.” Hilda shakes her head, dark bangs falling into her eyes only to be swept back into her helmet. “But I cannot fully explain it to you yet. In fact, I will not explain anything. That is her job.” Link nods occasionally, listening intently, but continuing to fill his stomach. “Peace be with you,” she echoes Zelda’s words from days before, “You will be safe.”  
Hilda and Link converse for a few more moments before she stands from her former crouch to leave. Link quickly stops her, “Hey, um…” She turns back, as if that suffices for responding. “My friend…his name is Ravio. Sleepin’ in the cell to my left. Um…” Link thinks how to word it correctly, “Put in a good word for him. Please.” Hilda hovers over the thought, and then nods, before informing Link it is highly possible no one will return to see him until this is all over. He understands.

When Ravio wakes, Link slips the rest of the fresh food to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Four updates in one day! Don't get used to it, oops.


	5. Dream a Little Dream of Me

The day Princess Zelda is declared alive and well is a beautiful, joyous occasion. Link is immediately released, and Hilda having kept her word and speaking well of Ravio, he is released, too. They take each other in to see how accurate their descriptions matched the image in their head, and Ravio’s smirk is crooked and toothy.  
“As much of a pretty boy as I took you for, fresh meat.” They immediately embrace.  
Hilda escorts them both to the castle, where they are welcomed to bathe, change their clothes, and have a real meal. Both boys happily accept. Before he steps into the shower, Ravio glances in the mirror. He hardly recognizes himself.  
After Link has scrubbed himself of the months of dirt he collected from jail, he changes into the clothes provided for him and makes his way downstairs, where the princess is waiting for him. She rushes to him and takes both of his hands, apologizing but smiling. Ravio joins them shortly after.  
Zelda invites them to walk with her throughout the celebration. They watch the afternoon turn into an orange evening as different flower petals are used as confetti; many civilians follow them – follow Zelda – in crowds.  
“I’m tired of sleeping alone,” Ravio declares as he invites himself to invade Link’s personal space. “Let’s bunk together.”  
“And if people get the wrong idea?”  
“Let them.” They laugh, until Ravio grows quiet, and shyly takes Link’s hand in his own. “I just forget you’re real.” He says, as if that’s a sufficient answer. Link does not question him further, and they fall asleep side by side.

Link awakes from his dream with a jolt, dirt from the ground smudged on his cheek. His stomach twists as he realizes why he hears other prisoners sobbing at night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short length!


	6. Sickening

Ravio knows he's sick. Ravio knows no one will help him.  
He wants to cry every time he runs his hands over his ribs; he can feel each individual bone.  
The most painful part of it all is Link's genuine worry. Ravio constantly chokes on his own vomit and can't help but make awful, sickening retching sounds as Link panickedly bangs against the wall, begging him to answer his worries.  
Oh, and the smell...Ravio just wants to die when he remembers the smell. It embarrasses him and makes him feel useless. He knows Link understands there's nothing he can do, but knowing doesn't necessarily make him feel better about it.  
One particular night, he figures this is it. This is the end of his short, miserable existence. He feels so much pain that he can't even speak, he just curls up in the corner of his cell and moans. Link gives up on asking him if he's alright, and instead sings as softly as he can. Ravio doesn't tell him-he physically can't-but his voice is the most comforting thing he could wish for.  
Link worries himself sick. Ravio sleeps most of the time, and can't keep any food down. Link constantly tries to get Ravio to make a noise or say something, just to remind himself that his only companion is still alive.  
As Ravio slowly gets stronger, Link realizes that at this point he could not live without him-without his other half.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't updated in so long; I'm so sorry!!!


	7. Poetic Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written in a series of haiku.

Link, still in prison.  
The guards will come to get him.  
He knows why he leaves.

He takes his first glance  
At his companion and friend  
Their eyes meet, both soft.

One, with dark, tan skin  
And dark, maybe even black  
Hair upon his head.

The other, quite pale.  
Blond hair falls against his face.  
Blue eyes meeting green.

One lunges towards.  
Clinging to the bars, screaming.  
"Please, don't leave me here.

Guard, take me instead!  
He has done nothing wrong, sir!  
He is innocent!"

His pleads mean nothing,  
Link's been found a guilty man.  
Zelda, nowhere, gone.

People are restless.  
"Where is her killer?" They cry.  
They assume she's dead.

Link knows otherwise.  
But he keeps quiet, silent.  
She told him to. Shh.

Link and Ravio  
Finally meet, eyes longing  
To hold each other.

But nothing will help.  
They will never truly meet,  
First glances, last chance.

They will never hug  
Each other close, whispering  
Words of their true love.

This is their goodbye.  
This is their hello, nice to  
Meet you, finally.

Ravio, screaming.  
Link, gazing away, tearing  
His heart in pieces.

He takes his last glance  
At his companion and friend.  
Eyes meet, both in tears.


	8. Halves of a Whole

Link jolts awake, and immediately begins weeping, relieved it was just a dream. 

"Link? Buddy?" the comforting voice of his companion rings out from beyond the wall. 

"I-I'm fine I-" Link stutters and pulls himself together, and after awhile tells Ravio about the nightmare. 

"Tough shit, huh?" Ravio murmurs. They sit back to back against the wall. "That must've been a rough thing to imagine, buddy." 

"It was." Link closes his eyes and thinks about what he'd do if they were released, both of them, right now. He would want to be gentle. He would want to see Ravio's eyes and take his hand and smile before kissing his cheek. But he knows he would probably hug that boy so hard and suddenly that they'd fall to the ground. He'd be so excited he wouldn't think twice about kissing Ravio right on the lips.  
He does not want to die. He does not want Ravio to die. Link wants to escape with him and live. Live. Live. 

He loves him. He's well aware of it now. He thinks about Ravio more than he thinks about the Princess returning with good news. He thinks about the innocent things, like holding his slender, tan hand, or kissing his cheek so gently as if he'd break if he pressed his lips against his face any harder. He thinks of telling him he loves him, face to face. He's never even seen his face, and he wouldn't care if he was handsome or ugly as dirt, he's in love. He's fallen in love with a voice beyond a wall. He's helplessly fallen in love. 

He thinks about just blurting it right out. Ravio, I love you. He can't. He can't bring himself to do it. He's too shy, too nervous... but he smiles. Here he is, in prison, awaiting sure execution, and he's crushing on a boy like a small child. 

It's the small things that keeps him distracted, that keeps him happy. 

But Ravio is no longer a small thing. Ravio is in every thought he has, and-

"Hey, Link?" Ravio whispers, touching his fingers to the wall. He's thought all the same things before. They're like two sides of a mirror. In sync with each other, two halves of a whole. Ravio is in love, too. He's so, so in love... "Nevermind."

"No, tell me." Link replies. 

"Maybe someday." 

They have both fallen deeply, helplessly in love.


	9. Illuminating Lights

A thin, pale hand reaches forward, emerging from its hiding place behind its dark cloak, opening the heavy, creaking door.  
The tavern Zelda enters is a secret one, one that few people like her know of, but many criminals show up to. It's a safe haven for those who seek shelter, those who cannot safely roam the streets of Hyrule. A place for those who are not like Princess Zelda. 

However, here Princess Zelda is. 

She pulls the hood of her cloak lower on her face, almost voiding her eyesight. Coming up to the bar, she murmurs an order to the bartender, and sits stiffly, hands folded in her lap. The man sitting next to her feels uneasy, and moves to another table. 

She sits silently for half an hour, barely moving, until her comrade shows up. 

"Shiek." she says as she sits, the name sounding strange on her tongue. "I trust you've been well."  
"Hilda," Zelda says softly, turning to her. "How was he?"  
"Which one?"  
Zelda looks confused, "I'm sorry?"  
"Oh? There's two of them in there. They look exactly the same, one blonde and pale, one dark headed and tan." Hilda crosses her legs and rests her chin on her hand. "Link asked me to put a good word in for his dark haired friend there."  
"Ah," Zelda trails off, lost in thought. "Hilda...what am I going to do?"  
"Last time I checked I didn't possess the Triforce of Wisdom." She whispers.  
Zelda's usual kind eyes turn to an icy stare. 

"I think soon," Zelda starts, "I'll come back."  
"Hmm?" Hilda hums a reply.  
"He can't die for me," Zelda looks away. "I won't let him."  
"What about his thief of a friend?"  
"I've put Link through so much for my own personal devices," Zelda grimaces. "He could wish a murderer out of prison and I would allow it."  
Hilda simply smiles.

The later it gets, the more lively the tavern gets. The darkness hides from the orange, flickering lights coming from the lanterns stationed around the walls. Zelda and Hilda had been talking for ages, going from serious speech to light jokes, but now the loud laughter and drunken yelling of others hinders them from speaking privately. Hilda sits to the side, her face illuminated by the light.

Zelda is taken with how beautiful she is.


	10. Touch

"We can do it, buddy!" Ravio cheers from his side, digging at the crack at the wall with a stone.   
"Mm," Link hums a reply, too focused on what he's doing to talk. 

They've decided to make the crack in the wall worse. 

They sit in their own silence, the only sound being the slowly chipped away stone, until Ravio yells out a, "Shit!" as his cuts his finger.   
"You ok?"   
"Ugh. Yeah," Ravio rips off a part of his shirt and wraps it around the worryingly deep wound he's just acquired. "Nothing bad." he lies.   
"Ravio, look!" Link exclaims, pressing his face against the wall. "It got bigger. Can you see my eye?" he laughs.   
"Eh? My side's still blocked up." Ravio whacks at the wall with his rock harder. "Oh, hey, there's a tiny opening!"   
"Can...we touch fingers?" Link asks.  
"We can try."  
They both press their fingers through the opening, until one's finger is pressed against the others. Link lets out a small gasp, and then breathily laughs in both disbelief and happiness.   
"Well shit, would you look at that." the joy in Ravio's voice is obvious.   
Link forgets where he is and lets out a yell of celebration, followed by Ravio's laughter and shushing.   
"It's like..." Link searches for the words. "holding hands, right?"   
Ravio smiles, and presses his forehead against the wall. Link does the same, even though he has no idea Ravio has done the same.   
They both close their eyes, their fingertips pressed together, and just smile.   
"Somehow, I think this is better." Ravio replies in a whisper.   
"Me too." Link verbally agrees, but spreading his other hand against the wall, it's obvious to himself that he wishes for more.   
They stay like that for hours. 

-

Late in the night, they are both woken up by the back of a spear being slammed against Link's prison bars. "Get up." the soldier growls.   
Link sleepily sits up, rubbing his eyes, his headache throbbing when he opens his eyes to lantern's light. "Huh...?"  
"I said get up." The soldier yells this time, surely waking up other prisoners. Ravio panickedly looks through the bars of his own cell, hands shaking as he grasps them. 'It can't be-' he thinks, his stomach dropping.   
"Well, let's get on with it." The soldier unlocks and opens the cell door, grabbing Link by the wrist. "Today's your lucky day, isn't it?"   
Link is obviously confused, asking questions that won't get answered by the guard, but Ravio knows. 

Link will get executed today.


	11. Return

Ravio has screamed and wept and shaken the cell bars, even after the guard and Link exited. Link had looked at him with such fear in his eyes, the last look he wanted as a first look. Ravio had screamed his name, and it echoed down the prison halls. Other prisoners turn away, uncomfortable or sad for them.  
"Link!" Ravio slams against the door and reaches out to him, and Link, finally realizing what was happening, reaches back. Ravio grasps his hand as the guard trying to yank Link back, hurling curses at the guard. "You ugly son of a bitch!" He screams, "You disgusting pig! He's innocent, you ugly fucking pig! You fucking-" The guard rips Link away and slams his weapon against the bars of Ravio's cell.  
The guard hits Link, hard, and Link staggers down the hall, dazed, as the guard drags him by his chains.  
Ravio continues to reach out towards the door, watching hopelessly, knowing he won't come back, but hoping for a miracle. 

And then, a miracle appears. 

"Come on," The cloaked figure hisses, "stop making such a fuss." Ravio begins to protest the last remark, his voice raising up again, until Hilda slaps him straight across the face. "I said come on." Ravio spits at her, shocked, but shuts up.  
He didn't notice how she got the door open, but it's no longer locked. He wipes his bitter tears away and steps out of his cell for the first time in years. 

Hilda immediately has to physically restrain him from running towards the door Link exited out of.  
"Let me go to him!" Ravio demands in a yell, hitting her arms away only to have her wrap and squeeze an arm around his neck.  
"If you don't do what I say," she growls, "an innocent man is going to die."  
Ravio relaxes against her choking grip and looks at the door again, blinking tears away, and agrees to follow her.

-

Link's neck is slammed into the guillotine, and his knees shake as his wrists are locked in as well. He cries out when the soldier kicks his already weak legs out from under him, and scrambles up again before the wood of the guillotine holding his neck strangles him right then and there. The soldier laughs, and kicks him in the ribs as hard as he can; Link's scream is so stressed that it comes out silent. 

A crowd has formed, some angrily chanting as their beloved Princess Zelda's accused assassin is shaking, weeping before them, his head in a guillotine, awaiting death. 

He dips his head down, pathetic tears, snot and drool dripping onto the ground below him. Squeezing his eyes shut, he helplessly listens to the soldier announce him as a murderer. 

...Until a commanding voice sends a unanimous gasp, then hush among the people. 

The blonde woman removes her hood, scanning the crowd. Hilda stands beside her with a fighting Ravio pinned under her arm, screaming Link's name until Hilda squeezes her arm against his neck again.  
"People of Hyrule," Zelda does not yell, but her voice carries. "This man is obviously innocent, isn't he?"  
Link looks up, shocked at first, eyes wide. He slowly gives her a relieved, toothy grin. 

Princess Zelda has returned.


	12. Through the Heart

Zelda marches through the crowd, Hilda and a struggling Ravio following close behind. She climbs the stairs to the guillotine and the shocked guard takes a nervous step back as she barks at him to release Link this very instant.   
Ravio babbles on as Hilda continues to restrain him, and Zelda unlocks the headlock herself. Link takes a deep breath, and stands, almost falling immediately due to the previous kick he'd received.   
"Hilda..." Zelda's voice is soft and quiet, "Don't you think it's time to let them finally meet?"   
Ravio's face lights up, and-  
"Imposter!" a voice cracks as its tone drifts across the now chattering crowd. "You're not the real Princess!" He raises his bow, and draws back. Hilda shoves Ravio out of her arms and screams as the string is released and the arrow flies.   
Zelda squeezes her eyes shut and turns her head, waiting, waiting, waiting... for no pain to shoot through her body. She opens her eyes a crack to see, but they widen as soon as she's realized what's been done.   
The arrow sticks prominently out of Link's chest; he'd used his body as a shield to protect her. He looks back, not at the Princess, but at Ravio, and whispers few words before he collapses.

"I love you."

Hilda, latched onto Zelda's arm, terrified after what she's just witnessed,doesn't have time to restrain Ravio as he screams and leaps towards Link. Falling to his knees, his shaking hands take one of Link's as his vision blurs from tears. They fall one by one onto Link, who's own vision begins to darken, slowly but surely.  
The previous crowd has screamed and scattered after the arrow was fired off, and Zelda rips herself from Hilda's arms as she sprints towards the street that leads to a medical house.   
"Ravio?" Link groans, "You're...Ravio?"  
"I-It's me, it's me," Ravio stutters out, squeezing his hand and lifting his head into his lap. "It's me, buddy. You're gonna be fine, I-"   
"Move!" someone shouts, and Ravio is once again shoved away from Link. Zelda has brought back a doctor, and she watches on nervously.   
"He's going to be alright?"  
"We don't have time to take him back to the medical tent," the doctor murmurs, "I've got to pull this arrow out of you here, son."  
Link weakly grimaces as he replies, "Do it."  
It's excruciating. Link moans and carries on and claws at the ground; it's hard to watch, and Zelda has to turn her head. As soon as the arrows out, the doctor presses a cloth hard to the wound. Instructing Link to work with him, he manages to prop him up enough to wrap bandages around his chest to keep the cloth in place. 

The whole world still goes dark, and his hearing is like he's underwater. 

Is this it? He wonders before he falls unconscious.


	13. What Lies Beyond The Wall

Ravio has refused to leave his side for days. He hasn't eaten, despite being in a castle (very different food than in a jailhouse!), and he barely sleeps.  
Ravio gingerly lifts Link's hand into his own, so gently it's as if he squeezed, Link would fall apart. He cups Link's face with his other hand, stroking his cheek with his thumb, and closes his eyes, his eyebrows knitting together in worry and despair. Zelda visits the room sometimes, and Hilda even less so, but Ravio is the only constant resident, apart from Link. His heart is heavy and he often wonders if he'll ever wake up, if he'll get to say "I love you," back. He lets go of Link's hand and holds his head in his hands, and begins to weep so hard his entire body shakes. He stays like that for ages, until he's just shaking, with no tears left to cry. 

"H-hey, don't cry..." 

Ravio's head jerks up and his eyes meet Link's icy blue ones, although they aren't open very wide. Link's frail, shaking hand reaches out and cups the side of Ravio's face as it lights up, newfound tears spilling over his cheeks before he grasps Link into an embrace, bawling into his shoulder.  
"I love you!" he cries, shaking as Link rubs his back. "I love you, I love you, I love you..." until he's crying so hard it's indistinguishable what he's saying anymore. Link's weak hands clutch onto the back of Ravio's shirt as he weeps, too.  
"I love you," he whispers after Ravio has quieted down. "so much."  
"I thought you were dead," Ravio's weak voice quivers. "I thought I'd never get to tell you that."  
They both pull back from their embrace, staring into each other's teary eyes. They smile gently and begin to quietly laugh, and Link presses his forehead to Ravio's.  
"We kinda smell, don't we?" he giggles.  
"I don't even care." Ravio states before he takes Link's face in his hands and finally, finally kisses him. Link's hands find their way on top of Ravio's, and for ages they only break apart to breathe. Ravio's once gentle, nervous touch becomes firm and brave as they go on; Link feels as if he's pushing him into the mattress as they kiss, and his cheeks turn bright red as his entire body turns hot, from nervousness or...his friend here.  
Ravio's body reacts the same to Link's as vice versa, and-  
"Hey Ravio, is Link doing any better-" Zelda stops in the doorway and puts her hand to her mouth to hide her grin. "I'll come back later!" she calls after she leaves them, redfaced after Ravio was seen straddling Link on the bed, both of their eyes wide and their cheeks pink as they gaped towards the door.  
"Maybe I should..." Ravio looks away.  
"I... let's..." Link's eyes dart around the room. "I ought to...go let the Princess know I'm alright..."  
"I...think that'd be best."

Link's legs shake and he's barely able to stand, after all, he'd been unconscious for days, and Ravio helps him down the beautiful palace stairs.  
Zelda is talking with Hilda over food and tea, and both Link's and Ravio's mouths water at the smell. Link hadn't eaten real food in months; Ravio in years. They basically trip over each other to get to the table, and don't even ask before they begin stuffing their faces, figuring it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Zelda laughs so hard she shakes, and Hilda actually giggles as well. 

Ravio and Link are shown to the showers, and they both look generally more handsome afterwards. "You clean up well," Ravio had said with a wink, causing Link to look away, redfaced. They're given a proper dinner, and Ravio almost cries while thanking the Princess, who just laughs and tells them there's a change of clothes in their shared room. 

When they change it's Ravio's turn to be embarrassed; he's used to old thieves' rags and here he stands in an outfit fit for a prince. Link isn't accustomed to the clothes, but he's more comfortable than Ravio is.  
"You look adorable," he laughs hard as Ravio grimaces and blushes in the fancy white suit. 

They stand out on the balcony, hand in hand, with Link resting his head on Ravio's shoulder as they watch from afar the festivities. The princess is alive, a wrongly convicted man is set free, and the soldier who'd fired the arrow is now in his place. Fireworks are set off, and the kingdom is lit by festival laterns and brightly dressed people, dancing in the streets.  
"Would you rather be down there?" Link asks.  
"I'd rather be with you any day," Ravio replies, before bringing him inside again and helping himself to another kiss, pushing Link back onto the bed, with safety in the knowledge that he'd locked the door this time. 

Everything finally was right.  
They finally knew what was beyond the wall. 

They couldn't be happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god after over a year, this fic is finally brought to a close... It's really bittersweet, but I'm glad I could share it all with you! I hope you've enjoyed reading Beyond the Wall as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I'm glad I gave them the happy ending they deserved. Let's raise a glass to the knowledge that they, and Princess Zelda & Hilda, get married and live long fulfilling lives!  
> Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading.


End file.
